A new love?
by Blueeyez01
Summary: Will an old friend of Gwen's play a part in Ben's future? This is a story about Sara, Gwen's best friend from before that fateful summer when Ben found the Omnitrix. Gwen and Sara meet again in college, and the fun begins! This is about a new love interest for Ben because I just don't like Julie and Ben together :) Disclaimer: I do not own the Ben 10 characters.
1. Chapter 1

"Happy tenth birthday, Gwen! Sorry I'm late. My sister has her learner's permit, and dad made her drive super slow all the way over here."

"Sara! I'm so glad you're here! You can save me from my annoying cousin. He's really getting on my last nerve," said Gwen. "As soon as this party is over, we have to go all the way to Bellwood for his birthday party."

"That totally sucks having to share your birthday with..." Sara stopped talking as Gwen's cousin walked over.

"Hey Gwen! Who's your friend?" Ben asked.

"Ugh...Ben this is my best friend Sara, Sara this is Ben that I was telling you about. Sara, let's go play!"

And they did. Gwen had an awesome swingset and her parents had rented a massive bouncy house to jump in. Unfortunately, Ben followed them everywhere they went and kept staring at Sara. Sara found it a little creepy. Ben couldn't help it though. With her blond hair and blue eyes, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

When they finally got away from Ben for a little while, Gwen told Sara all about her summer plans with Grandpa Max. They were going to travel all summer in his RV. Sara was sad Gwen wasn't going to be around for play dates this summer, but she didn't tell her.

It was time to cut the cake and sing to Gwen. Gwen's mom forgot the candles in the kitchen and asked Sara to run inside and get them. When she got into the familiar kitchen, she found her newest least favorite person already in there looking for the candles, too.

"What are you doing?"

"Uncle Frank told me to find the candles for Gwen's cake," Ben said.

"Mrs. Tennyson told me to get them. Have you found them yet?"

"Ummmm, nope," he said as he slyly put the candles back in the drawer he had just found them in.

"We'll she said they were in that drawer you're looking in," Sara said as she marched over to where Ben was standing. "Duh, they're right here dummy, how could you not see..." At that moment, Ben grabbed Sara and kissed her on the lips. Sara noticed how green his eyes were as she punched him.

8 years later

The campus was beautiful on this hot August day. It was Sara's first week at college. Her roommate totally sucked, but she had made some friends on her hall and had been getting the scoop on all the sororities on campus. She knew her mom would have wanted her to join a sorority like she did. Too bad she wasn't around anymore to give her any advice on how to choose the right one.

As she was leaving her Calculus I class on the way to get some food at the dining hall, she heard someone say, "Sara Linstrum? Is that you?"

She turned around to see a familiar red-headed girl. "Gwen?! Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed as the girl gave her the biggest hug ever.

Sara hadn't seen Gwen since their last day of school before Gwen went RVing with her grandpa. She ended up moving to Bellwood with the rest of her family at the end of that summer. They had been pen pals for a while, but since technology and internet wasn't as popular back then, they lost touch. She had heard in the news about how her and her cousin somehow saved the world or something. She had other issues at the time to deal with: her mom had cancer and died. And then, as if that wasn't horrible enough, her sister and dad died in a car accident just a few months ago. Her parents were only children, and her grandparents had died when she was young. She literally had no one. College was a welcome escape, and seeing Gwen was an awesome surprise.

It seemed that no time had passed for the two friends. They got lunch and caught up on the past eight years the rest of the afternoon. Sara found out Gwen had already been in college for two years, and was dating some guy named Kevin. Gwen apologized for losing touch with Sara, but explained all the craziness/awesomeness of her life. Gwen was devastated for Sara about her parents because they had been like second parents to Gwen for years when they were little. Gwen even offered for Sara to move into her apartment after hearing about her roommate and how terrible she was, and she accepted. They even laughed about the drama at Gwen's 10th birthday party when Sara punched Ben for kissing her. Apparently he had a black eye for a week. Sara also found out that no one at college really knew who Gwen was, even though she used to be in the news a lot. Gwen refused to let Ben visit her at school because then everyone would figure it out, and she went by Gwendolyn now.

The next few months were great. Sara moved in with Gwen (she had enough college-level credits from high-school to be considered a sophomore and eligible to live off-campus). She met Kevin when he came to help move her into Gwen's apartment. Other than the few times Gwen went home to Bellwood to see him and her parents, they went out every weekend at school. Sara was a shoe-in to Gwen's sorority come rush in the spring.

It was Monday night before Thanksgiving break. Gwen came into Sara's room and noticed that she hadn't packed any clothes to go home tomorrow after classes. "Do you need help packing?" she asked.

"Actually...umm...I'm staying here over break."

"Why is that? I thought you were going to eat with your friend Samantha's family," Gwen said.

"Well, I was going to, but I just decided not to go," Sara said as she tried not to look at Gwen.

"What's wrong, Sara? Tell me."

Sara explained, "When I went home for fall beak, it really...sucked. I mean, I had fun with my friends, but being home in that big empty house by myself was pretty horrible. I don't think I want to go back home unless I absolutely need to. I just miss my family so much, and I just can't be in that house..." She was crying at this point.

"Why didn't you tell me you had such a bad time?"

"Well, you came back and were so excited telling me all about how you went to some planet with your boyfriend to help your cousin and his partner fight off that crazy alien guy, and I just hated to ruin your mood by telling you about my fall break and how horrible it was."

Gwen insisted that Sara come home with her to Bellwood. Sara didn't want to because it was so last minute, but Gwen called her parents and they insisted she come. After classes the next day, Sara rode home with Gwen to Bellwood. She was greeted by the familiar faces of Gwen's parents. She got a tour of the house, put her things in one of the guest rooms, and helped Gwen and her mom prepare supper. She felt right at home with Gwen's family, and they loved having her. They did Thanksgiving Wednesday night with Gwen's mothers's family. Gwen had warned her beforehand that they weren't as fun as her dad's side. Sara agreed they were a little dull, but she enjoyed being around everyone. Afterwards Gwen and Kevin kept her entertained telling her about some of the adventures they had together with Ben. Ben wasn't going to make it to Thanksgiving this year, so Gwen and Kevin were a little disappointed. Sara was actually relived he wasn't coming: she wasn't sure how she felt about seeing the guy who gave her her first kiss 8 years ago that she immediately gave a right hook to.

The next day, Gwen and Sara helped prepare Thanksgiving lunch. Gwen's grandfather, aunt, and uncle came over to celebrate, as well as Kevin. They ate, they talked, and they laughed. Sara was having a great time. She helped the ladies clean up as the men settled onto the living room furniture to watch football. Ben's mother pulled out a few bottles of wine so that all the ladies could relax and eat dessert. Sara was a little surprised that Gwen could drink with her family, but she figured she would drink a glass if Gwen was. Gwen never drank much, so she only had one glass and announced she was going to take a nap. Sara had two glasses in the same amount of time, and was definitely feeling a little tipsy. She decided to excuse herself to go take a little nap, too.

Just as her and Gwen were walking up the stairs, the front door burst open. The most handsome brown-haired man strolled through the door with a beautiful smile on his face. He looked right at Sara, and she saw his deep green eyes. She recognized that they were the same set of beautiful eyes that belonged to the boy that gave kissed her 8 years ago. Sara's heart was about to skip a beat...

Then he spoke.


	2. Chapter 2

When Ben walked into the house, he spotted her on the steps immediately. He knew who she was because Gwen had done nothing but talk about her every time they spoke. Even Kevin had told him how cool she was. She had grown up too be pretty hot in Ben's mind. She had big boobs, nice-sized hips, and a fairly flat stomach. He noticed her blond hair had darkened a little in the past eight years. She actually made him a little nervous.

"Don't tell me we missed all the food!" he said to no one in particular. "Me and Rook are in desperate need of turkey and sweet potato casserole ASAP."

"Ben!" his mother, Sandra, exclaimed. "You said you couldn't make it this year."

Everyone, except Sara, was practically shoving each other to get a hug from him.

"Hey Ben, do you remember Sara?" Gwen's father, Frank, asked as he grabbed her hand that had been resting on the railing. Just as Ben was getting ready to speak to her, his partner, Rook, who had been doing something in his truck, came inside. Gwen had told her all about him, but Sara had never seen an alien in real life before, and it must have shown in her eyes because Ben said to her (rather loudly), "Don't be scared, he won't scratch you." He was trying to be funny to show off for Sara, but he realized it was a mistake when he saw the look she gave him. It was the same look she gave him before she punched him when they were young.

Thankfully, Gwen saved her. She introduced Sara to Rook and the three chatted while Ben and Gwen's moms got the food back out for the two heroes to eat. Everyone went back into the dining room to be with Ben and Rook.

_He's the most horrible person I have ever met,_ Sara thought to herself as she sat there and listened to him brag about all the lives he had saved and bad guys he had battled the past month on some planet whose name she couldn't pronounce. He talked with food in his mouth and had horrible table manners. Everyone was laughing and encouraging him to keep talking. She was still really embarrassed and angry about what he said about Rook to her. Thankfully, Rook didn't hear it or didn't care. _Maybe it's the wine that's got me so angry...everyone here thinks he's great. He's a hero, right? How can a hero be so damn cocky? Maybe that is why he's cocky...UGH!_

"I think I'm going to go take that nap now," she whispered to Gwen.

"Me, too, girl," she replied.

Ben noticed the girls whispering, and was about to ask why when Gwen announced what they were doing. Ben was disappointed they were leaving. He knew that he had not made the best impression on Sara, but he couldn't figure out why. He usually had no trouble getting girls...hell, they practically threw themselves at him. What was up with her, and, frankly, why did he care? He told them both bye, and continued his story.

Before Sara went in her room, she asked Gwen, "No offense, but is your cousin always so annoying?"

Gwen started laughing and couldn't stop. "I know, right? He gets on my last nerve sometimes! He was horrible today. I knew you were my friend for a reason. You totally get me."

"Thank goodness I wasn't the only one!" Sara laughed.

While the girls were still sleeping, Ben asked Kevin if Sara had a boyfriend.

"And why exactly do you want to know that?" Kevin asked.

"Just answer the question, jackass," Ben retorted back.

"I guess you'll have to ask Gwen," Kevin said as he tried to hold back laughter.

Ben sat there sulking while they watched football. Gwen woke up before Sara. Thankfully, Kevin didn't call him out in front of her about his question. The last thing he needed was for Gwen to make fun of him, too.

Two hours later, Sara stumbled down the stairs. The first thing she heard was Ben talking about something else wonderful he had done. _Does he ever shut up? Be nice, Sara, be nice. He's got to be cool if he's Gwen's cousin._

"Hey, Sara," Ben said to her as he spotted her walking down the steps. He was sitting on the love-seat by himself. Kevin and Rook were on the couch and Frank and Carl where in recliners. Ben hoped she would sit beside him.

"Hi," she replied and waved to everyone as she slipped into the kitchen where she found Gwen talking to her mom and aunt.

"Ben's not as smooth as he used to be," Kevin said to Rook. Ben rolled his eyes at him, and all the men laughed. Sara made a point to stay away from him as much as she could, and definitely avoided all conversation with him. It obviously was not the alcohol that made her think he was annoying.

After eating leftovers for dinner, Ben suggested that the younger crowd go to his parents' house to watch a movie while the older crowd stayed at Gwen's. Sara really didn't want to go, but she went along in hopes that they would get an hour and a half of silence from Ben while the movie was on. Kevin, Gwen, and Sara decided they would walk there since it was only a couple of blocks away.

"Ben, do you want to ride with me? I'm going back to headquarters tonight so I need my truck there," Rook said. Ben, wanting to be around Sara, said he would walk, too. "I have never seen you choose to walk anywhere," Rook stated as he got into his truck. Kevin and Gwen tried not to laugh. It was so obvious Ben still had a crush on Sara after all these years.

When they got to Ben's house, Ben grabbed some beer from the fridge that his dad had told him about. When Sara asked why their families let them drink, he replied, "When we turned 18, our parents told us that if we were old enough to save the world, we were old enough to have a drink when we came home." It sounded pretty reasonable to Sara.

Gwen and Kevin sat on the love-seat, Rook grabbed Carl's recliner, so Sara and Ben had to sit on the couch together. Ben was thrilled, Sara was annoyed. He tried to talk to her, but everything he said just didn't come out right. She didn't think he was funny at all. Ben thought, Wow, she's really just not into to me.

Right before they picked what movie to watch, Sara asked, "Where's the bathroom?"

Ben jumped up and said, "I'll show you. I need to go to my room anyways." He walked her down the hall. When she came out, she saw that Ben was still in his room and was changing shirts. She liked what she saw, but she remembered how awful he was. She asked him if he had a sweatshirt she could borrow. He had just taken one off, so he let her use that one. As she put it on, she noticed how good his cologne still smelled on it and that he had a poster of her favorite band on the wall. Turns out it was his favorite band, too, and they shared the same favorite song. Sara thought maybe he was cooler than she had previously thought.


	3. Chapter 3

They were still talking about their favorite band as they walked back into the den and sat on the couch. Rook was telling Gwen and Kevin about some of the females that Ben had hooked up with the past few months. They were dying laughing from the stories. Sara was pretty disgusted that he jumped from girl to girl like that, and Ben was completely mortified that she heard what Rook was saying. He tried to redeem himself by saying, "Bad decisions were made." It was too late in Sara's mind.

Somehow the conversation changed over to college. Kevin told Ben that Sara had been a good influence on Gwen.

"What do you mean?" asked Ben.

"Well, she goes out, drinks more than one drink, and even has a fake ID!" Kevin explained.

"When you say it like that, it sounds like I'm a bad influence! I think what you don't know is that Gwen was really the bad influence on me," Sara said. "She hazed the shit out of me when I was pledging her sorority." Gwen had found some loop-hole that let Sara rush in the fall instead of waiting till the spring because of her college-credits from high school.

"Gwen haze? Yeah right...what'd she make you do? Read a book?" Ben asked.

The way he implied Gwen being a geek really rubbed Sara wrong. "I wish that's what she made me do. She made me chug beer, take shots, sing karaoke in front of people I actually knew, kiss ugly boys, AND she made me try pot for the first time!"

Gwen was giggling, "Girl, don't be such a drama queen. It's not like I made you do any of it by yourself! Well, except kiss that ugly boy."

Sara laughed and agreed, "Yeah you did everything, too."

Ben was really surprised to hear this. "You smoked pot?"

"What is pot?" Rook asked innocently.

"Weed," Kevin replied. Rook still looked confused. "Marijuana."

"Oh...Gwen, that kind of behavior is very unlike you."

Gwen replied, "We were super drunk, and tried it that one time. Neither of us got high though."

"Gwen called Kevin on our way home that night, and he made us promise to never do it again," Sara explained.

"Dude, were you mad?" Ben asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Maybe Sara was a bad influence on his cousin.

"Naw, I didn't care. They were pretty hilarious on the phone. I only made them promise cause I don't want them turning into potheads on me."

"Gwen...I can't believe you did that. You're always the level-headed one, staying out of trouble, doing what you're supposed to do, studying..." Ben said.

"What? Like a geek?" Sara asked.

"Yea...I mean... No, no!" Ben stammered.

"Did you really just call me a geek?" Gwen asked. "What are we, ten?"

"I just meant that you've always been the goodie-goodie..." Ben tried to explain. He knew he was digging a hole he couldn't get out of.

"Have you ever smoked weed, Ben?" Sara asked.

"No..." _That was a random question_, he thought as he answered.

"Sounds like maybe you're the goodie-goodie."

"I am far from a goodie-goodie, woman" Ben retorted.

"Oh really? Why? Because you sleep with random girls? I think that's the only thing I didn't hear you brag about today to your family."

"Well excuse me, I'm out busting my ass everyday fighting bad guys and saving the universe, and it's no ones business how I spend my downtime!"

"I think all your other friends here have helped you save the world countless times, and they are a little more humble than you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben asked.

"It means that you're the cockiest son-of-a-bitch I have ever met! You are the most horrible person I know!" Sara knew she was overreacting, but she refused to back down.

"You are such a fucking bitch!" Ben screamed at her.

"You piece of shit," Sara murmured. As she was about to lunge at him, Gwen jumped in between them, and Kevin grabbed Sara off the couch. She had never been so angry in her life.

"Enough!" Gwen yelled. She looked at Ben and said, "Ben, you deserved most of that for calling me a geek. And you," she said to Sara, "need to calm down, girl. Ben is my cousin, and I love him no matter how cocky and annoying he is." Turning back to Ben she said, "Sara is my best friend, and she's like family to me. She's going to be around just as much as I am. If you don't have something nice to say to each other, don't say anything at all."

"That escalated rather quickly," Rook observed.

At that exact moment, Ben's parents strolled through the door. They all sat down quickly. "What are you all up to?" Ben's dad asked suspiciously since there were four people sitting on the couch.

"Just hanging out Uncle Carl," Gwen said.

"Wonderful!" Sandra said. "I think we're headed to bed. It's been a long day." She turned to Sara and said, "Sara, it was so nice to meet you. We were just talking about how sweet you are, and how you're invited to spend any holiday with us from now on."

"That's very kind, Mrs. Tennyson. Thank you," Sara replied.

As soon as they walked to their room, Sara and Ben said at the same time, "I need a beer!" Sara got up first. She actually got Ben a beer, too, which she proceeded to throw at him when she got bs k in the den. He caught it, much to her disappointment.

"Be nice, Sara," Kevin said. She rolled her eyes at him.


	4. Chapter 4

The next three years zoomed by. Gwen finished her bachelor's degree, and continued into the master's program. Sara went home with Gwen every holiday, and sometimes on random weekends. Gwen's family loved her, and she loved them, too. She had actually sold her family's house, and had a permanent room at Gwen's. Gwen sometimes went out on missions with Ben and Kevin, but only if they really needed her powers. Ben had become really focused on work. He trained, worked out, and accepted missions far way from home. Ben and Sara saw each other a few times over the years, but they never apologized for the things they said to each other that night and rarely spoke to each other. They thought about each other sometimes, but never told anyone.

A few weekends before graduation, Sara and Gwen went to Bellwood. They were going to be in one of their sorority sister's wedding the first weekend of summer, and Gwen needed her silver shoes from her parents' house. Frank and Lili were out of town. Kevin had the weekend off, so he was staying there with the girls. They were settling down to watch to a romantic movie (Gwen's choice) when there was a knock at the door. It was Ben. Kevin was supposed to meet up with him Sunday, and they would be gone for several weeks. Two planets were at war, and they needed to go help settle things. Ben finished his last mission a little early and came home before he had to go back out again with Kevin.

Ben sat in one of the recliners. Sara was in the other. A small table separated them. Sara hated romantic movies, and Ben actually knew that because she always wanted to watch action movies like him and Kevin. About halfway through the movie, he looked over at her and noticed she was wiping tears. He saw a box of tissues beside Gwen and Kevin, so he got up and got them for her. He wasn't really sure why he did it, it just seemed like the right thing to do. She smiled at him and whispered "Thanks." It was the first time she had sincerely smiled at him since that Thanksgiving they had fought. She was surprised by his sweet gesture. At the very end of the movie, she happened to look his way and noticed a single tear running down his cheek. She couldn't believe he was sensitive. On instinct, she reached over and wiped the tear off his cheek. She winked at him when he looked at her. _Wow,_ she thought. _I think we just had a moment._

A few weeks later, Ben and Kevin came back for graduation. Gwen's whole family was there to see her graduate with her master's degree and Sara with her bachelor's. Ben dressed so he wouldn't be recognized. He didn't want to take any attention off of Gwen. Everyone went out to eat afterwards, and then adults went home. Kevin and Ben were going to stay at their apartment and go to a graduation party. It was the first time Ben had been to campus. He wore a ball cap and hoped no one would recognize him when they went out that night.

The party was great. They were all drinking and having fun. Ben and Sara were actually talking to each other a little bit. She felt bad for him: he looked a little out of place since he wasn't in the spotlight. She was also talking to him because she was trying to avoid her ex-boyfriend, John. They had broken up last year, but lately he had been calling and texting her non-stop trying to get back together which was something she did not want to do. She had been staying away from him at all costs.

Unfortunately, John caught her as she was going to get a beer. As she tried to leave politely, she realized he had backed her into a wall. He was really making her uneasy. He was extremely drunk and slurring his words. As he tried to lean in and kiss her, Sara spotted Ben.

"Ben! Come here a minute," she called to him. It surprised John when she did that, so he backed off a little. Ben wasn't sure why she called him over, but she acted like she needed to talk to him.

"Ben, this is John. John, this is my boyfriend, Ben." She was talking out of her ass trying to figure out how to get rid of John. She prayed Ben would play along. He gave her a surprised look, but decided to go with the flow.

"Hey man, nice to meet you," he said to John.

"Umm, yeah. Sara, I didn't know you had a boyfriend. I thought we were getting back together," John said.

"I thought I told you. We met a few weeks ago and are really into each other. Actually, I think we've been at this party long enough. Let's go home, babe," Sara said to Ben as she grabbed his hand and dragged him away from her ex.

When they got outside, she thanked him for playing along. "I'm sure it made you sick to the stomach to pretend to like me, but I really needed the save." She explained the situation to Ben. Just then, she spotted John out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, he's right over there. Lean in close and act like you're whispering something in my ear."

Ben put his lips next to her ear, and whispered, "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say." Being that close to her made him feel a little nervous.

"Just smile and keep whispering. Oh my gosh, he's coming over here!" Sara knew drastic measures needed to be taken so she flipped Ben's cap around, put her hand on his cheek, and said, "Kiss me..now!"

She didn't need to ask twice. He kissed her, sweetly at first, then harder. He slipped his tongue in her mouth, and pulled her closer to him. He opened his eyes for a second and saw John walking away, but he wasn't going to stop kissing until she did. It was the best kiss of his life.

Sara couldn't believe how awesome this kiss was. She saw John walk by but she wasn't going to stop until Ben did. It was the best kiss of her life.

"Well this is quite unexpected," Gwen said, surprising the kissing couple. They jumped away from each other and looked very guilty. "Two of our sisters came to me and said that you were making out with my hot cousin outside. Considering that y'all hate each other, I thought that they were mistaken."

"I can explain this," Sara said at the time Ben said, "It's not what it looks like."

Kevin said, "I can't wait to hear this."


	5. Chapter 5

**When I started writing this, I didn't think I would have so much to say. I have lots of ideas, so I'm trying to write with as little fluff as possible, but it's not working. Don't hate for the long chapters :) It should all tie together eventually.**

**This is my first fan fiction, so please rate and review**

As they walked home, Sara explained that Ben was pretending to be her boyfriend so that John would leave her alone. Ben told his side of the story and made everyone laugh.

Gwen noted, "Well, I saw John in the house before our sisters told me. You had been making out for a while." Sara and Ben both blushed.

Sara looked at Ben and said, "I guess I was scared if I opened my eyes he'd be standing there, so we kissed a little longer to make sure he was gone...Right, Ben?"

"Umm hmm," Ben agreed.

When they got back to the girls' apartment, Kevin and Gwen went right to bed. Sara put on a camisole and cotton shorts to sleep in. She went back to the living room to find Ben sitting on the reclining love-seat. She went back to her room to grab a pillow and blanket for him. "Are you gonna sleep or watch TV?" she asked him as she handed him the items.

"Prolly watch something for a little while," he replied.

"Good! I'll stay up with you. Hopefully we won't hear Gwen and Kevin here in the living room," she said sitting down beside him with a bag a chips she had grabbed from the kitchen.

"Yeah I've heard enough of that to last a lifetime," Ben laughed as they shared the bag. They started watching something on TV.

A few minutes later, he asked, "So..umm..how you end up with such a cool dude like John?"

"Ugh! He wasn't such a creeper to begin with," she explained. As she told him the saga of her and John, she put the pillow she had gotten for him in his lap and laid on it and covered up with the blanket. Ben thought that she must be really drunk to do that, but he didn't mind at all. In fact, he started playing with her hair. She didn't even realize what she had done until she was almost at the end of her story. She kept talking to play it off. "In the end, there were just no sparks," she concluded.

"I know what you mean. I dated this girl, Julie, when I was in high school. She called me up last year, and we met up." He told her the story about how she wanted to get back together, but it just wasn't anything there anymore. When he looked down at her, he realized she was fast asleep. He wasn't uncomfortable, so he leaned back and fell asleep with his hands still in her hair. He dreamed of the kiss they shared over and over.

A few hours later, he felt her get up. She covered him with the blanket and stood there for a minute hoping he would wake up. He wanted to go with her to her room, but he didn't know how to ask, so he pretended to stay asleep. She turned off the TV and went to her room by herself. She couldn't stop thinking about the night. I must still be drunk to think I might like Ben Tennyson. She tried to think about their fight and how much she loathed him, but she kept getting goosebumps when she thought their kiss.

The next morning, Ben and Kevin had to get back to convince those same two planets to sign a peace treaty. They had made progress while they had been there, but not enough. Gwen was really upset they had to go because that meant Kevin couldn't go to the wedding with her next weekend. Sara was secretly happy because she didn't want to be the only one at the wedding with no date. Gwen and Kevin kissed goodbye, and Sara told Ben to stay safe.

As soon as they walked out the door, Kevin asked Ben if anything happened between them. "We just watched some TV and fell asleep."

Sara gave Gwen the same story, but Gwen didn't buy it. She had seen the way they were looking at each other after their kiss. "So you're saying that kiss didn't mean anything?"

Sara got a funny feeling, like Gwen had asked her that question before. "It was just for show, Gwen," Sara said as she folded the blanket Ben used last night.

"You sure looked like you enjoyed it."

"Fine, it was just for show, but your cousin is a good kisser. Happy now?" Sara threw the pillow at Gwen, just like she had in a dream before.


	6. Chapter 6

On the day before their sorority sister's wedding, Gwen and Sara were walking to Sara's car with all their bags. The wedding was out of town in a fabulous hotel. As they were packing the car and getting ready to leave, Gwen got a call.

"Hey Kevin! What's up?

"Hey baby. Guess what?"

"Just tell me. We're getting ready to leave for the wedding."

"I'm home."

"You're home?! How is that possible?"

"Yea. They pretty much had everything figured out when me and Ben got there."

"Awesome! Hold on a minute, Sara's asking me something." She put the phone down.

"Is he coming to the wedding?" Sara asked.

"Yea. Are you mad?"

"No, of course not. Ask him if Ben's home." Gwen gave her a strange look, but she asked Kevin her question.

"Yea, he's right here. Why?" Kevin asked. Gwen relayed the message. Sara held out her hand for the phone, and Gwen handed it to her with a confused look on her face.

"Hey Kevin, it's Sara."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Can you give your phone to Ben for a second?"

"Umm...sure," he told her. He handed the phone to Ben. "It's for you, dude."

"Hello?" Ben said.

"Hey Ben, it's Sara. I knew this is last minute, but are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

"Umm...not that I know of."

Sara couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she really didn't want to be the only one at the wedding without a date. "Is there any possible way that you might wanna go to a wedding with me?"

_Is this really happening? Play it cool Tennyson_. "The same one Kevin's going to?"

"Yea. Me and Gwen are in the wedding so you'd really be hanging out with him most of the time."

"Uh yea, that sounds good."

"Awesome. Do you think you could come tonight to the rehearsal dinner?"

"Sure. That's shouldn't be a problem," Ben replied. "Do I need a suit both nights?"

"Umm..no just tomorrow. Khaki pants and dress shirt should be fine for tonight. Will that work?"

"Yup."

"Ok. I guess you can ride with Kevin. I'll leave a key to our room for you at the front desk."

"Sounds great. See you tonight."

"Ok, bye."

"Bye," Ben said as he handed the phone back to Kevin.

He was still replaying the conversation in his head when Kevin got off the phone and said, "Bro, this is your chance with Sara. Don't fuck up."

All Ben could do was nod.


	7. Chapter 7

At the rehearsal dinner, and Sara couldn't help but noticed how hot Ben was dressed up. He actually insisted on switching meals with her because she obviously didn't like hers. He said he didn't mind because, "Sometimes, when I'm in a battle, I don't know when I'll get to eat again, so I'm used to eating anything edible as quickly as possible. I'm really not picky at all anymore," Ben explained.

_That could explain his horrible table manners, _she thought.

After dinner and some toasts, the musician started playing more upbeat songs. The bridesmaids started dancing. He was trying not to stare at Sara. He didn't want her to think he was a creeper.

"When did Gwen start dancing like that?" he asked Kevin as they stood next to the patio bar. He was used to Gwen just slow dancing.

"Where have you been the last four years? I told you Gwen had really come out of her shell years ago. Oh wait, that's right, you were too busy fighting with Sara that night to catch the moral of the smoking pot story."

"My bad, bro." The thought of that night made him realize he needed to talk to her about it.

Just then, the musician started playing a slow song, and everyone started coupling up. Gwen and Sara came over to the boys. Gwen dragged Kevin to the dance floor, and Sara got another beer.

He came up behind her and put his hand on her back. "Did you wanna dance with me, Sara?" he asked.

"Uh...sure," she replied. He led her to the dance floor, and they started dancing.

"Ben," she started, "thanks for being my date this weekend. I know we haven't always gotten along, but I appreciate the save. I didn't wanna be the only one here without a date."

"So you were desperate for a date?"

"No...well...I mean, Gwen was gonna be my date since Kevin was gone and when he came home..."

"You didn't have many last-minute options?"

"Are you mad?"

"No, it's cool. I'm having fun, and if I had stayed at home I'd seriously be doing nothing."

"Ok good."

"But you know Sara, I've been saving you a lot lately..."

"I wouldn't call twice a lot, Ben."

"I count three times."

"You cannot count getting me tissues!"

"Hey, you needed them and I came to the rescue."

"You're such a dumbass," she said jokingly. "Besides, I think I saved you that night."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I didn't tell Gwen or Kevin about your sobbing through the movie."

"It was not sobbing...I had something stuck in my eye."

"Yeah right. So the way I see it, I only owe you for one favor."

"Fine. I know how you could make it up to me."

Sara looked at him, not sure where this was going. "How?"

"You know we've never talked about that Thanksgiving."

"You want me to apologize?"

"Just apologize first, that's it."

"Fine," she said. She took a few moments to think about what to say next. "Ben, about our fight, maybe...there were a few things...I shouldn't have said."

Ben waited, but she didn't say anything else. She was looking at him mischievously. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Probably," she replied sweetly.

"Ok, I'll take it. I'm sorry, too."

"Good, I'm glad we had this talk. I'm actually a little relieved."

"Why's that?"

"Well I've always been scared you were going to act out some revenge or something. Like maybe you just agreed to this weekend to sleep with the bride and ruin the wedding."

"Damn girl, you figured out my ultimate plan," he joked. "I've been waiting on this moment for three and a half years...do you really think I would do that to you?"

"I don't know, Ben, I called you some horrible things."

"Gwen was right, I deserved most of them."

"Not anymore. You're not any of those things anymore from what I can tell." _Oh shit, did I really just say that?_ she thought. "Let's just not talk about it anymore," she requested as she laid her head on his shoulder.

_That's the nicest thing she's ever said to me_, he thought.

Sara knew she had drank too much. She was really nervous about having to share a bed with him tonight. There were no double bed rooms left when they checked in the hotel, so they would be sharing a queen bed. Well, maybe that wasn't the only reason she was drinking so much. She didn't have the nightmares when she drank. Gwen had observed that. She didn't want Ben to know that her dreams haunted her at night, and she certainly didn't want to wake up screaming. She had already drank past her limit, but she decided one more couldn't hurt.

The hotel shuttle had been running people back to the hotel for the past hour. The bridal party and their dates were the last there. Sara got in first, and Ben sat next to her, the others following. The driver asked them to pack in so he wouldn't have to come back again. Ben pulled Sara into his lap to make room for more people. She leaned into him and laid her head on his shoulder. He started playing with her hair, and she fell asleep in his arms.

Gwen glanced over and saw Sara snoozing. "Is she asleep, Ben?" She looked angry.

"Yeah, why?"

"We have a rule that Sara can't fall asleep until she gets home."

"Why?"

Gwen whispered, "Cause it's hard to wake her up. We had two bad nights that first semester she came to school that I couldn't get her upstairs. I had to use magic when no one was looking. And then a couple other nights I was able to wake her up for her to walk upstairs to our place, but she was really annoying and a little mean. So we had to make the rule...I can't believe she fell asleep."

"It's actually my fault. I started playing with her hair and she passed out pretty quickly after that."

"Oh...that always does it."

"I'll carry her to our room, no big deal, Gwen." And he did. She wasn't heavy at all. She did wake up long enough for Gwen to help her change out of her dress into her pjs, and then she went right back to sleep.

"Set the alarm for 10 for her," Gwen instructed Ben. "We have the bridal luncheon at 11."

"Got it. "

"Night."

"Hey Gwen, how did you know playing with her hair makes her fall asleep?"

"She has bad nightmares that make her talk in her sleep. Anyways, long story short, when I hear her talking in her sleep, I go play with her hair until she falls back to sleep. She said her mom and sister used to do that for her."

"Oh...What are her nightmares about?"

"Ummm...I've probably already said more than she wants you to know. Just play with her hair if she starts talking in her sleep, k?"

"Ok...night."


	8. Chapter 8

"What are you doing?" Sara asked Ben the next morning. She had a huge hangover, and he was being extremely loud.

"I'm starving. I'm going to get some breakfast downstairs."

"What time is it?"

"8"

"Ugh...I hate you. Why are you up so early?"

"Cause I'm hungry. Didn't I just say that? You want me to bring you something?"

Sara realized she was hungry, too. "Just wait a minute and let me get ready. They better have waffles."

At breakfast, they chatted about what happened when they got back to the hotel because Sara didn't remember anything. She was so embarrassed that he had to carry her and that she had broken Gwen's rule. He reached across the table and put his hand on top of hers. She got a chill, and she knew exactly what he was going to say. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. We've all been there."

After the wedding and tons of pictures, the girls were finally able to join them inside the banquet room for the reception. After they ate, the emcee announced that it was time for the first dance, followed by the father/daughter dance. Ben noticed Sara tearing up as she watched the bride and her father dance. Then he got it: she would never get that father/daughter dance. He wiped her tear, put his arm around her waist, and pulled her close. She thought to herself, _Why does he have to be so damn sweet?_

Later that night, Sara couldn't stand it anymore. She had to talk to Gwen about Ben. She cornered her in the bathroom. "Gwen, I need to ask you something."

"Ok..." Gwen replied. "Look I'm really sorry about what I told Ben."

"What? What exactly did you tell him?"

"About your nightmares. Isn't that what you were going to ask me about?"

"You told him what my nightmares were about?!" She stormed out the bathroom feeling a mix of anger and disappointment. He thought she was nuts. That's why he was being so nice to her. Gwen tried to catch her, but Sara was already at the bar downing shots.

"Sara, you need to stop taking shots and talk to me," Gwen said while Sara ignored her and took another. "Sara, how could I tell him what your dreams are about when you've never told me?"

"That's why he's being so sweet to me, isn't it? He thinks I'm crazy!"

"No, Sara. He likes you. Besides, he was sweet to you yesterday before I told him, and I only told him in case you woke up screaming and freaked him out!"

At that moment, the emcee announced it was time to catch the bouquet. Sara and Gwen were by the bar not speaking to each other when the emcee spotted them and announced, "The two bridesmaids by the bar need to come to the dance floor to catch the bouquet immediately." They were mortified for being called out, and still flustered from their fight. Gwen looked over at Ben and Kevin. They both knew from one look at her that she was upset.

"What'd you do now?" Ben asked Kevin.

"Nothing that I know of. Sara looks pissed, too."

"Yikes. What the hell could that be about?" Ben wondered aloud as they both continued to observe the girls.

The girls waited with the other unmarried women for the bride to toss the flowers.

Gwen spoke to Sara in a loud whisper, "Ok, listen, I don't know what the hell was up with that reaction, I think it's time for you to tell me what your dreams are about."

Sara ignored her.

"Damnit, I've listen to you scream every sober night for four freaking years." Sara turned and looked at her with her eyes full of surprise.

"Every night?" Sara asked, completely shocked.

"Almost! I would come in your room and play with your hair so you'd stop."

Sara got that feeling again. She knew what she had to say and what was about to happen.

"You wanna know what I dream about? I'm gonna catch the bouquet." She held her arms out while she was still looking at Gwen.

"What does catching the bouquet have to do with your..." Gwen saw the flowers fall into Sara's outstretched arms. "How did you know...you weren't even paying attention."

"That's what I dream about. I dream about the future, but when I wake up I don't remember until I get a feeling like I just did. I dreamed that whole thing. You standing there mad at me, telling me that I scream every night, catching that bouquet, you looking at me like that. My whole life is fuckin' déjà vu."


	9. Chapter 9

"I've never heard of anything like that before," Ben said as he gave her hug. All four of them were standing near the entrance if the venue. Gwen convinced Sara to tell Ben and Kevin what she had just revealed to her about her dreams. "I mean me and Gwen have visions sometimes, but nothing like this."

Kevin asked, "What all have you seen...before it happened?"

"When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, when she died, when I got the phone call about my dad and sister..." She started to tear up, and Ben pulled her close again. "It's like I'm terrified that at any moment something else bad will happen, and like I knew it was gonna happen. If I could only remember before the moment..."

"It's ok babe, it's not your fault," Ben said to try to comfort her. He couldn't stand to see her like this.

"Well it can't always be bad things you see. Just like you saw the bouquet tonight," Gwen interjected, trying to make her feeling better.

"They're not always bad, but it's just a continuous thing. I mean it's just a constant feeling I have all the time...like I've lived my whole life before." She couldn't stand the way they were all looking at her, though she didn't mind the way Ben was holding her. "Can we just talk about this later? We're bridesmaids. We can't just leave the wedding like this," she said to Gwen as she dragged her back inside. The boys reluctantly followed.

Later that night, Ben and Sara were getting ready for bed. They hadn't really spoken much since her revelation, but he had managed to talk her into a few dances with him. She got into bed first, and held on to a pillow to separated their sides of the bed. She was in deep thought, though she did lose focus when she saw him taking his shirt off. He laid on his side and looked at her. "You ok?" he asked. She just shrugged her shoulders. "It had to have been hard keeping a secret like that for so long."

"I actually feel a little bit better about it. Maybe I should have told Gwen a while ago. But it's hard to explain something that you mostly don't remember till you're in the moment."

"Mostly? You mean you remember some?"

"Well, there are only a few dreams that I actually remember, and that's only because I have them all the time. But mostly I wake up and remember either a person or an object or place that I saw, but I can't fill in any details till it happens in real life."

"Tell me about the ones that you remember." Ben asked as he reached for her hand.

"Well...there's one where I'm looking at a tv screen. It's like I'm looking into outer space or something cause I see the moon up close. I see this huge explosion, and I feel all this pain cause I know I've lost someone that I care about. Then there's another one where...someone is...umm..." She looked up to see his beautiful green eyes looking at her, urging her to continue. "I'm getting raped." He didn't look surprised.

"That explains the gun in your purse."

"You went through my pocketbook?"

"I was looking for a piece of gum this morning when you were in the shower. You mad?"

"No, I don't care. I got it when I turned 21. I figured maybe I remembered that dream for a reason...like maybe I can prevent it."

"Smart girl...do you remember the person who...does..."

"No, I wish I did, I would so be on the look-out for the guy."

"Damn, I was ready to be looking out for him, too...Are they the only ones you remember?" One look at her, and he knew there was more. "Tell me, please Sara," he begged her as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"There is one more...it's about you."

"You had a dream about me?"

"Yea...repeatedly. You're like floating and hooked up to all these wires and IVs. Your eyes are open and you know what's going on, but it's like you can't move or say anything cause this huge thing is over your mouth. That's all I remember."

"Yikes. That's really scary sounding."

"I know," she replied. "You think I'm weird don't you?"

"Not at all."

"Swear that's not why you've been so nice to me today."

"Are you kidding me? You're awesome, not weird." The look on her face told him she wasn't convinced. "I mean, you're fun...and smart...and sweet...you laugh at my jokes, I love it when you smile...I mean, I like you."

"Really? Even though I just told you I have weird dreams about you?"

"Yea. I've liked you for a while, too."

She smiled at him. "I like you, too, Ben."

He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Good. Does that mean I can take you on a date this week while I'm at home?"

"You have the week off?" He nodded. "Sure. Maybe you can help me find a place to live?"

"Where?"

"In Bellwood. I'm teaching at one of the high schools starting the end of August."

"I didn't know that. I'm surprised you're not living with my aunt and uncle."

"Well, they told me I could, but let's be honest, I've been on my own since I was 17, so the thought of living with adults kinda sucks."

"I totally get that," he replied, and then had a great idea. "I actually know a place where you can live."

"Where?"

"It's liked three houses down from my parents'. It's mine."

"You have a house? I thought you stayed with your parents when you came home."

"I do stay with them because I've never done anything to that house. It's just sitting there, not being lived in. You'd be doing me a favor by living there."

"I mean...would we be roommates or something?"

"What? No! Like I ever come home anyways. Besides, my parents would prolly kill me if I lived with my girlfriend. I would still stay with them when I come home."

"Girlfriend?"

_Damn, did I really say that?_, he thought to himself. "Uh...a girl...that's a friend...I mean, prolly any girl in general...they would disapprove of me and any girl living together," he stammered out.

"Uh huh, I see," she said smiling at him. "Take me by there tomorrow?"

"Sure. I think you'll like it."

She leaned over the pillow separating them and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for being so sweet this weekend. You're pretty awesome, too," she whispered in his ear, referring back to what he had said about her earlier in the conversation. He grabbed her face and pulled her lips to his. When they separated, she laid back on her pillow, keeping her eyes on him. One look at her and he knew she wouldn't say no to anything he tried. On impulse, he threw the pillow between them to the floor, pulled her into his arms, kissed her lips again, then her forehead. He decided to leave it at that for the night. He didn't want her to wake up and think it was a mistake.

"Nite, Sara," he told her, holding her close, putting his hands in her hair. "I hope you have sweet dreams tonight."

"Nite, Ben."


	10. Chapter 10

A few hours later, he heard her say his name. He answered her, but quickly realized she was still asleep. "I need to tell you something." He could barely make out what she was murmuring, "We have a baby."

The next day, the Ben drove Sara's car back to Bellwood so that she could sleep on the way home. He didn't tell her what he heard he say last night. Surprisingly, having a baby with her didn't scare him. He was pretty convinced before he heard the baby thing that she was the one he wanted to be with. What scared him was the fact that she was saying it to him like he didn't know. Was he going to be gone so long that he missed her being pregnant? _Maybe it's a blessing she can't remember. I heard two sentences and it's driving me crazy_.

They went by his parents' house to pick up the keys to his house and ended up eating brunch there. His mom went with them to look at the house. Sara loved it. Ben told her she could do whatever she wanted to the house to fix it up before she moved in.

Ben, Sara, and Sandra were chatting about what needed to be fixed in the house when Gwen and Kevin raced up.

"Ben! We've been trying to call you!" Gwen screamed at him for the passenger seat.

"Huh?" Ben looked at his phone and saw 8 missed calls. "Sorry, somehow my phone got on silent."

"Vilgax is headed towards Earth with an army of drones."

"What!? There's no way. He hasn't been around for years!"

"We gotta go...NOW!" Kevin yelled.

Ben went over to his mom and kissed her on the cheek. He ran to Sara, hugged her, and kissed her passionately.

"Be safe, Ben," she told him. "Take care of my best friend."

"I will. I'll call you, ok?"

"Ok. Bye," she said as she kissed him again.


	11. Chapter 11

"We're coming home," he told her.

She had waited a month to hear those words. She had thrown herself into fixing up his house and moving in, but the days had been dragging. She had talked to him at least every other day, but they texted back and forth several times each day. She really missed him.

They would be home the next night, and would all come to Sara's since their parents were going out of town together for a long-weekend vacation. Lili sent a over a chocolate pie, and Sandra sent over mashed potatoes before they left. Sara fixed everything else for dinner.

Ben rang the doorbell, and then opened the unlocked door. "Sara?" he called.

He dropped his bag by the door, and walked to where he heard her in the kitchen. She was singing at the top of her lungs while stirring something. Her voice wasn't great, but she was having so much fun that it didn't bother him. She was so hot in her short, strapless sundress that showed off her tan legs. He watched her a few moments before she realized he was there.

"Ben!" she exclaimed as she ran over to him for a hug and lots of kisses. "I missed you so much," she said when caught her breath. She noticed he looked tired, really worn out actually.

"I missed you, too, baby," he whispered. She realized he had tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"It was really bad out there. We lost three plumbers on me and Rook's team, and four on Kevin and Gwen's. Then... " The doorbell cut his story short. It was Gwen and Kevin. Sara went to give them hugs. They looked pretty rough, too.

"The house looks great, Sara," Gwen told her.

"Thanks! Y'all want the tour before supper?" Sara asked. She showed them how she had redone the the bathrooms, put new tile in the kitchen, re-finished the hardwood floors, painted all the rooms, and turned the basement into a game room. Most of the furniture was hers that had been in storage for years. The house was just big enough to hold it all, plus some pieces that Sandra and Lili contributed.

During dinner, they kept the mood light. _She's a great cook_, Ben thought as he ate second and third helpings of everything. He joked that she had maxed out his credit card with everything she did to his house, but he really loved it. Sara insisted they not help clean up, and made them go downstairs. She quickly threw everything in the dishwasher, and went to be with her friends. The boys were playing pool, and Gwen was trying to find something on tv. They all had a beer or two, but no one was really in the drinking mood. After an hour, Gwen and Kevin went home. They never got to be together when they were on a mission, so they were both excited to go home to her empty house.

Ben was sitting in an oversized chair when she got back downstairs after walking them out and making them take leftovers with them. He told her to come sit with him. She sat halfway on his lap, halfway beside him on the chair. She kissed him on the cheek and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You gonna finish telling me what happened out there?"

"Yea...it was the weirdest battle I had ever been part of. Vilgax really didn't seem to have a real plan like he normally would. It's like he just came to fight, and he somehow captured Gwen."

"What?! Oh my gosh! I mean she looked fine today, so I guess y'all got her back quick?"

"I wish. He had her for three days. She had fought so hard that she didn't have any powers left to defend herself. She was so weak when I found her. She still is weak."

"How did you not tell me this when we talked?"

"I didn't want to scare you, Sara. Not until we knew whether she was alive, hurt, or...dead. Anyways, it was a trap. He had my entire team, plus Gwen. If Kevin and his team hadn't gotten there when they did, we'd all be gone." Sara was crying at this point. She couldn't believe all of this had happened to them. He put his hand on her cheek and made her look at him while he continued. "All I could think about as he was getting ready to kill us was how I was never gonna get to see you again...you'd never know how I feel..." Sara kissed him then. She knew what he was getting ready to say, and it scared her. She had thought many times that month that she loved him, but it was too soon, even if he had had a near-death experience. She wanted to know that he meant it, not say it because he was too emotional. She broke their kiss only so she could kiss his neck. He reacted by taking charge. He kissed her again on the lips, then moved down to her neck and chest, stopping at the top of her breasts and coming back up to her lips.

"Come with me," she begged him as she led him upstairs to her room.

He asked her as they walked, "Tell me how far this is going before we get there, babe." He didn't want to mess up and push her too far.

She turned around to look at him when they got to the top of the stairs, obviously a little nervous to answer the question. "I don't know...let's just...um..fool around? Is that ok?"

He scooped her up as he kissed her. "That's perfect." He carried her to her room and stood her beside the bed. He kissed her, long and hard. His hands were all over her, and his lips found their way down her chest. He took her bra off and had one of her breasts in his mouth before he laid her on the bed and got beside her. She moaned as his hands found their way under her dress. He slipped one finger inside her as his lips found hers again. She was so wet. Her breathing quickened as he put a second finger in her. He only stopped so she could take his shirt off. She fiddled with his belt and pants until she had him in her hand. He moved his fingers in and out of her quicker as she was touching him. He felt her body tremble when she finished. She immediately went down on him. _Best headpiece ever,_ he thought the entire time. She made him finish as easily as he had made her. As she kissed her way back up his body, he knew that she thought that it was over. He wasn't ready to go out like that. He kissed her as he pushed her dress and panties off of her. He kissed her body all the way down until he was where he wanted to be. He licked and tasted her while he put his fingers back inside her. She was moaning, calling his name, and pulling at his hair that she could reach. _He's the only guy I've ever had do this that actually knows what he's doing_, she thought to herself. He made her finish again in no time. He kissed her all the way back up her body. They both stared at each other for a few moments, and then he started, "Sara, I need to tell you something."

"Don't Ben. You don't have to."

"But I want to."

"I'm not ready for us to say that. It's too soon."

"It's been a month."

"Yeah but we haven't even seen each other till now. Can what we feel really be real?"

"Fine. Go away with me tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"Let's go somewhere together. Just me and you, so we can get to know each other better...do more of what we just did."

Sara smiled at him. "That sounds pretty awesome."

"I'll figure it out tomorrow on my way to headquarters."

"Why do you have to go in?" Sara wondered aloud.

"I have to sign some paperwork cause I came straight here when we got back instead of doing it then. I couldn't wait any longer to see you."

She smiled and kissed him. "I'm glad you came straight here."


	12. Chapter 12

_Ugh, do I really have to have this dream again after me and Ben had so much fun last night?_ she thought to herself. It was like it always was. She was tied up to a wall, hands and feet, a few feet above the ground, completely naked. She felt him looking at her, and then, for the first time in this repetitive dream, she saw him and heard what he was saying to her.

"Hello, there. I've waited a long time for this," the naked monster said to her. Even though she was several feet above the ground, he was still much taller than she was.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

"I'm a friend of your boyfriend," he said as he slapped her. His hand was bigger than her whole head. He did it again and again. He slapped her so much that she couldn't even hold her head up. She saw how huge his manhood was right before he entered her. She felt herself tear, and screamed out from the pain. She begged him to stop, but he relentlessly continued the torture. He bit her on the stomach when he was finished and said, "Tell your friend thanks for not noticing what my drone put in her arm."

Sara woke up with Kevin and Gwen looking at her. She remembered Ben leaving earlier and telling her that he'd be back at noon to pick her up for their get-away. She had gone back to sleep for a while. Apparently, Gwen had forgotten her phone at Sara's house, so her and Kevin had come back to get it. They heard her screaming when they got there, so Kevin broke the door to get to her. Gwen could tell it was different than the normal way she screamed in her sleep.

"Sara! Are you ok? I've never heard you scream like that!" Gwen told her best friend,

"It was so real...I remember every detail."

"What happened?"

"Some...monster...was slapping me, biting me, and raping me."

"Sara, that's horrible! You were screaming like some one was really here."

While the girls were talking, Kevin noticed the marks on Sara. "Hey, what happened to your wrists?"

She looked at herself, really confused. "In my dream, my hands were tied up." How could she have rope marks in real life? She looked around to see if there was something in her bed that she could have caught her hands in to make those marks. Kevin was looking, too. Sara threw the covers off to check her feet.

"Sara! Your ankles!" Gwen exclaimed. There were deep groves in her skin as if she had really been tied up. "You're bleeding, too!" Gwen noticed the blood in Sara's bed where she was sitting.

"No, it was a dream. It can't be real. Am I still dreaming? How is this possible?" Sara asked. It was too overwhelming. Kevin caught her head before she hit it on the headboard. He scooped her up and ran with her to his car with Gwen right behind them.

Gwen asked him once they started driving, "Who could have done this to her?"

"Why wasn't Ben there? He was supposed to spend the night..."

"Oh shit."

"Yea, oh shit." They both sat in silence on the way to the hospital.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so sorry this has taken so long to post. I've been super busy! please read, review, and enjoy! **

At the hospital, the doctor confirmed that Sara had been brutally raped, and the police were called in before they let Gwen or Kevin see her. When the detective came out, he asked about how they found her. He asked them to get her to tell them the truth about what happened. She was protecting her rapist by not giving a name. He left, and then the doctor let them see her, one at a time.

"Gwen!" Sara was so happy to see a familiar face. "Where's Ben? Did you call him?"

"I was getting ready to ask you the same thing. Where was Ben when this happened?"

"He said he had to sign some paperwork cause he didn't do it last night before he came to my house. He left, and then I went back to sleep. How could my dream be real, Gwen? How could I have woken up and it really have happened?" Sara asked with tears in her eyes.

"Did Ben do this to you?" Gwen asked her back. Surely her cousin couldn't do something like this to the girl he was in love with. But Gwen and Kevin got there at 8:35, and Ben was gone. She had deep cuts in her skin where where she had been tied up and was bleeding for her bottom. What other explanation could there be?

"What? No! It was a dream. Ben was gone." Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. Gwen ran out to see Kevin had Ben pinned the wall. "Kevin!" She yelled at him.

"What the fuck are you doing, man?" Ben yelled at Kevin. His mom had called him to ask about Sara after Gwen's parents told her. He had tried to call her, Gwen, and Kevin, but no one would answer their phone. He called every hospital in town looking for her, and finally found her at this one. Kevin punched him as soon as he saw him and threw him against the wall.

"Why did you do it? How could you?" Kevin asked.

"What are you doing, Kevin?" Sara asked quietly as she stood in the doorway of her room with her IVs behind her. He let Ben go to her.

"Baby, what happened? My parents called me...I didn't know where they took you...thank god Gwen and Kevin found you!" he said as he touched her red and bruised face. He walked her back to her bed, and Gwen and Kevin followed them.

"Ben, it was awful. You know my rape dream? Well, I had it again and when I woke up, it had really happened!"

Gwen and Kevin couldn't believe what she was saying. Gwen asked, "You're serious Sara? It was really a dream? We thought you were protecting..." She glanced over at Ben.

"You think I did this to her?!" Ben yelled. "Are y'all fucking insane? I would never do anything like that to her."

"I can't believe you thought Ben did this to me..." Sara said as she sobbed. She couldn't hold it together anymore. Ben held her close, tearing up himself. She whipped her gown up to show them her bite mark on her stomach. "Do you think Ben could have done this to me?" The teeth marks were obviously too big to human.

"I'm sorry...it just didn't seem to be any other explanation," Gwen whispered. She was so ashamed for believing her cousin could do that.

"Yea me, too. What you're saying, Sara, is just so...unbelievable. It still is," Kevin pointed out. He felt awful for thinking the worst of his best friend.

"Whatever," Ben said to them. He looked at Sara and said, "Are you sure it was a dream...that no one was there?" She nodded. "Tell me everything." And she did. "What did the monster do look like, if he said he was a friend of mine?"

"He was huge. I was several feet off the floor, and he was still several feet taller. He could fit my entire head in his hand. He had red eyes and black lips and the weirdest feeling skin."

"Is that all you remember?" Kevin asked. This description sounded too familiar to all of them.

"No. He had a really weird beard...like it wasn't even a beard at all. Kinda like..." she was trying to think of a word to describe it.

Ben cut her off by saying, "I'm gonna show you some pictures, Sara. Tell me if any of them look familiar. Give me a minute." He pulled out his phone and started searching. When he found a few aliens that looked what she described, he handed the phone to her. Him, Gwen, and Kevin crowded around her so they could see. "Scroll to the right. Look at them all twice." He purposefully didn't put who he thought it was in the line-up.

"He's not in there, but this one looks really similar." She was pointing to Myaxx. She didn't need to know she was a girl.

"How does he look different?" Gwen asked.

"Well...he was a lot bigger than this one, and these weird...tentacle things were like down more like a beard, like I was telling you."

He grabbed the phone and found a pictures of several people from Vilgaxia, including his worst enemy, and gave it back to her. "Is he in there now? Look at them all twice again before you decide to make sure."

When she got to the picture of the one who raped her, her hand started shaking. "Him! It's him!" Kevin grabbed the phone and made her look at the rest of photons just to make sure. "No, no! It's the one I showed you," she demanded. "Who is that?!"

"That's the alien we were just fighting...Vilgax," Gwen said solemnly.

Kevin looked at Gwen and said, "How could he have gotten in her dream? He's not magical."

"He has to be working with someone who is," Gwen speculated.


	14. Chapter 14

**I missed most of Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, so I hope I didn't do too bad with some of the little details in the next few chapters. Enjoy!**

"Do you know how long it could take to find the Ledgerdomain?" Max asked Gwen.

"Try. Please?" Gwen thought they should try to contact Charmcaster to see if she knew of any spell that could cause this.

"What about your grandma?"

"I need to save my strength, Grandpa."

"Alright, Pumpkin."

Gwen left her grandpa to go check on Sara. She found her sleeping in Ben's quarters, and Ben was sitting beside her, playing an old Sumo Slammers game on his phone. She went in and sat on the end of the bed.

"How long has she been asleep?"she whispered.

"Not long."

"I told Grandpa to find Hope. I'm hoping she can help us find out how this happened."

"Good idea. Could it be Hex?"

"I don't think so. We left off on decent terms with him."

Just then, Sara said something in her sleep, but neither of them caught it. They saw her lift both hands above her head, one at a time, and scream out in pain. They saw marks appear on her hands. Ben ripped the covers off of her to see new marks on her legs. It was happening again. Gwen screamed her name, and Ben held her. Nothing woke her up, nothing stopped her body from moving, and Ben felt it when Vilgax broke her arm. He grabbed her up and ran her to the medical center while she was still screaming in her sleep.

Her eyes snapped open to see Ben as soon as he laid her on a hospital bed. "It happened again."

"I know, me and Gwen were there."

"I heard her screaming at me, and I felt you holding me, but it didn't matter. He kept hitting me, over and over. I couldn't wake up."

"Did he...rape you again?" Gwen asked.

"No. Just...he just beat me and broke my arm." She began sobbing loudly as an alien medical team looked her over. They were getting ready to give her some pain medicine when she jumped away from the needle and yelled, "No!"

"Sara, it's just a needle!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Will it make me tired?" She looked at the alien with the needle in his hand. He shook his head yes. "I can't go back to sleep. He told me he would be there every time. Just fix my arm. The pain will keep me awake."

Gwen offered to take her pain away, but Sara wouldn't let her. She was still weak from being captured in the last battle, and she needed to save her strength for when they found Vilgax.

Ben and Gwen were really torn up about the whole situation. They couldn't concentrate on finding Vilgax because they were so concerned about Sara. And that was Vilgax's ultimate plan. He wanted them distracted so he could finally defeat them when he attacked. He didn't want to just kill them, he wanted them to suffer. He had been waiting for years for this type of opportunity. It was actually a drone that was made in his likeness that had captured Gwen a week ago: he snuck on Earth while the Plumbers were occupied fighting. The drone put the tracker in her arm: it recorded everything she said and the people around her said, too. That's how he found out about Sara. He had no idea his revenge could start so quickly. Ben had done nothing but talk about how much he wanted to see her. Gwen talked about her, too. That's when he realized this Sara was the key to their undoing. He wanted to cause them pain by causing someone they both loved pain. He originally planned to kidnap and torture her. But when he overheard Gwen talk to Kevin about Sara's dreams, he knew her mind was weak, and he had heard about a magician with a grudge against Gwen. Torturing her right in front of them was too perfect.

Too bad Hex didn't want to help. He knew Gwen and Ben had helped Charmcaster in the Ledgerdomain. Vilgax had to force his hand by threatening his niece. Vilgax said there was a group in the Ledgerdomain that could get to her if he didn't cooperate. Hex didn't have a way to contact Hope, and the story seemed really believable. Vilgax was very thankful for his great poker face. Hex found a spell that would bring Sara to Vilgax's room while they were both sleeping. Neither of them could bring anything with them that wasn't already in the room, which is why Vilgax already had the ropes there before he fell asleep. It is also why their clothes did not travel with them in the dream. He also was able to link their minds enough so they Vilgax would know when she fell asleep.

Gwen actually went to Hex's mansion twice to talk to him, but he never answered the door. The third time, she tried to get in so that she could take a look at his spell books to see if there was a spell that matched what was happening to Sara. She tried to break down the door and she tried to transport in, but he had put up a protection spell that wouldn't allow her to. She finally decided he wasn't home. She never told Ben and Kevin she went.


End file.
